The Inception of Brigham Young University's Archival Program, 1956-1962

Authors

J. Gordon Daines III, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Mormon studies, Brigham Young University archives, special collections

Abstract

Brigham Young University today houses thousands of documents and photographs about the history of the university as well as millions of other documents and photographs on Mormonism, Utah history, and Western history. These materials are housed in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections in the Harold B. Lee Library. The Perry Special Collections is well known as a place to study historic documents, read rare books, find photographs, and much more. Among the treasures found in the Perry Special Collections are the Brigham Young University Archives. This paper examines the establishment of the BYU Archives, with Ralph W. Hansen as the first archivist, through 1962, when Hansen left to become the founding university archivist at Stanford University. It also examines the pivotal role that the University Archives played in laying the groundwork for the development of BYU’s exceptionally strong manuscript collections documenting the history of Mormonism and the West.

Recommended Citation

Daines, J. Gordon III (2015) "The Inception of Brigham Young University's Archival Program, 1956-1962," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 54: Iss. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol54/iss2/7